Machine for cooking and drying food and grain



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. -F. BRINTON. Machine for Cooking and Drying Food and Grain.

Patented July 27,1880.

(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheen 2. y

H. F. BRINTQN. Machine for Cooking and Dry-ing Food and Grain. No. 230,525. Patented luily A27., 1880.

l. DLPEHS PHOTO-LITHOGPHER. WASHINGTON. D. C.

Nrrnn STATES A'rnrwr einen.

HENRY F. BRINTON, OF NORTH HUNTINGTON TOWNSHIP, (LARIMERS STATION P. 0.,) WESTMORELAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

MACHINE FOR COOKING AN D DRYING FOOD AND GRAIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 230,525, dated July 27, 1880.

Application filed April 17, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, HENRY F. BRINTON, of North Huntington Township, (Larimers Station P. 0.,) county of Westmoreland, State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Cooking' and Drying Food and Grain; and I do hereby declare the following to be' a full, clear,

concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in whichlike letters indicating like parts- Figure l, Sheet l, is a vertical sectional elevation of my improved apparatus. Fig. 2. Sheet 2, is a top orplan view of a horizontal section through the line a' a', Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional View in the plane of the line y y, Fig. 1.

My invention relates to an improved machine fbr cooking and drying grain and other coarse food for live stock, particularly domestic animals, by which the entire work of cooking, drying, and discharging' the food in condition for immediate use, or for use from day to day without liability to fermentation, may be done expeditiously and well, and at a single operation. i

The superiority of cooked food for feeding purposes is` so well known to stock-raisers generally that it need not here be set forth.

The grain or other food to be cooked may be fed from a bin overhead through a chute, A', or otherwise, into a hopper, A, whence it passes into the cooking-chamber B, .which is preferably of cylindrical form, and is lined by a steam-coil, b, such coil being provided with numerous perforations on its inner side, as shown, and suicient in number and size for the supply of the steam to the contents of the chamber, so as properly to cook such contents to the desired extent.

The steam is supplied by a pipe., b', leading from any suitable steam-generator.

Inside the chamber is an upright spindle, B2, on which is a series of stirrers or mixers, B', two, three, or more. These are slightly conical in shape, and are alittle less'in diameter than the inside diameter of the steam-pipe lining, so that while the feed shall, as it goes down in the chamber, be brought into close proximity (No model.)

to one or more of the perforated coils, it shall also have room to pass downward outslde the stirrers without danger of clogging.

with radial or other desired arrangement of grooves, such as shall tend to turn the food over and over, and subject all parts of it to the action ol the steam, and shall also tend to feed it outward to or toward the periphery of the stirrers. From the bottom ofthe cookingchamber a chute, D', leads to the drying-chamber l), in which I make use of steam and hot air for drying purposes. This chamber is surrounded by an annular jacket, D2, of asbcstus, or other known material which is a poor conductor of heat. the drying-chamber D, is an annular chamber, D3, in whichthe air is to be heated, and the chamber is made with a double top and bottom, so as to give steam-chambers G G'. Inside the chamber D, and projecting from its inside walls inwardly toward its center, is a series of concave or hopper-shaped shelves, a, but which are open at the center', as shown at a'. On a vertical spindle, H, which extends up through the middle of the chamber, I arrange a series of disks, c, which are grooved on their upper faces, in like manner as the stirrers B' in the cooking-cham ber B, and which taper downward on their upper faces or sides, but are upwardly curved at their'peripheries, as at c', the diameters of such disks being a little greater than the diameters ofthe openings a ofthe shelves a; but the lower shelf, a?, however, is closed down at its center, so as to form a complete hopper, and it leads into a chute, a3, through which the contents of the chamber D may, after being properly dried, be discharged into any suitable receptacle, ready for use as may be desired.

Connecting the steam-chambers G Gr' is a series of steam-pil'ies, s, in any desired number, but preferably somewhat numerous, so that while the downward flow of the food or grain will not be materially obstructed, the inside of the chamber will be raised to a good drying temperature. These pipes should be distributed entirely around the chamber D, passing' through the shelves a, as shown.

Steam is admitted by a pipe, g, into the lower The upper faces of the stirrers are provided Inside this, and exterior to IOO steam-chamber, G, and passing thus, by the pipes s, lis discharged into the chamber Gf, and the residue, it' any remains uncondensed, may escape through the pipe g2, closed as against ordinary pressure by a weighted check or safetyva-lve. The waterof condensation may he carried off through a drip-valve, g3. The heat radiated from the pipes s will raise the inside of the drying-chamber to a high tempe attire.

The lower hopper-shelf, o2, has in it one, two, or more air-screens, e, having a tine mesh, such that air may freely pass through, While the grain or food within will be directed down or out of the discharge-chute.

1n order, now, to get rid ofthe vapor or dam p atmosphere produced inside the drying-chamber D, as a result of the steam-drying opera tion, and also to perfect the drying, I introduce air through the port h into the air-space D, in which space the air will be heated somewhat by heat radiated from the chamber l).

By the use of an exhaust fau or blower, arranged in any suitable way, as at il', communicating by a pipe, h', with the inside of the dryingchamber I), l exhaust the damp air from such chamber, drawing air from the inside spaces, 1), through one or more ports, a, arranged in the case ofthe chamber D beneath the lower hopper-shell", a2, whence the air passes through the screens c up inside, and passing up through the (l1-yin g-cham ber D, aids in drying the contents and draws off all vapors and dampness.

In operation, the food or grain admitted through the chute A' is discharged into the chamber D, either on the upper shelf, u, or onto the upper disk, or ,falls from the former onto the latter. rlhcse disks c are caused to 'revolve at a comparatively high speed. and by their centrifugal action, in connection with their grooved upright faces and the curve ot their peripheries, as at c', throw the food or grain outward against or among the pipes s, so that it will be well heated, and consequently, to a corresponding extent, dried. rlhe food or grain is deposited on the next shelves a., and is discharged thence on the next disk c, where that ope-ration is repeated, and so on through the entire series until the discharge-spout is reached; but as different kinds of food or grain require greater or less room to pass from a to e, or from e to a, on their downward progress, l provide for vertical adjustment ot' the disks c up or down by means of an adjustable step, m, which supports the lower end of the spindle H, and this step is adjusted up or down in any suitable way, as by a nut, m', through which the stem of the step passes, and which latter is worked by the pinion m2 and the crankshaft m3.

The alves shown at o, fo', and 4v2 may be of any suitable construction or arrtuigement with reference to rapidity opt' feed as may be desired, or each valve-stem may be weighted, as shown, so as to be kept in a closed position, except as against a predetermined operative pressure. In this respect the skill of the mechanic may be employed to vary the construetiou of the devices.

The apparatus may be driven in any suitable way, and, purely for convenience, I have shown the driving-belt l passing overa pulley on the shaft B2, so as to operate the stirrers in the cooking-chamber Vwith a predetermined slow motion; also a belt, l, for driving the shaft H and disks c with a predetermined rapid motion, and a belt, P, for communicating motion to the exhaust-fan.

The pulley p, on the upper end of the spindle, I connect with the spindle by a feather and groove, and also the lower pulley, p', so that they will not be materially affected in operation by the vertical adjustment of the spindle H.

In so far as relates to the use of the drier, it may beemployed for drying damp ormoist grain independent of the cooker, in which ease grain should be fed in by the chute D' into the drying-chamber l), from which point the operation will be the same as already described.

It so desired, with reference to the tree eirculation of air, line peribrations or line screens may be arranged at various points in each of the shelves a, so that the upward draft of air may be kept up through the drier Il at points toward its periphery as well as atits center.

rlhe air employed in the operation described may be heated, if so desired, before entering the port 7i., though I do not think it will be necessary. If found necessarya sheet-metal cylinder can be arranged inside the steam-coil b, around the cooking-chamber B, with numerous perforar-ions through the same, seas to give the steam free access to the inside ofthe chamber, as illustrated at Y, Fig. 4, which ligure shows, in vertical section, a portion of the cooking-chamber. This may be advantageously used where the material to be cooked is such as would be likely to lodge in between the pipes ot' the coil; also, the shelves a. may be made whole or in sections and of any suitable material.

Other modifications may be made or addi tional devices added, such as will come within the knowledge ofthe skilled mechanic, and will leave the operation substantially unaltered-as, for example, a blower to force air in at the port lt may be employed instead ot' an exhaust-fan to draw it out, as also other connecting-gear may be employed, instead of belts and pulleys, for giving to'all parts ol' the apparatus a simultaneous motion.

I claim herein as my inventioni 1. ln combination with cooking-chamber 13, lined within by perforated steam-coil b, a series ot' stirrers, B', each downwardly sloping and radially grooved on its upper face, substantially as set forth.

2. A drying apparatus, consisting of a chamber, l), having within a series ot' hoppershaped shelves, a, open at the center, revolvin g disks c beneath the openings ofthe shelves, steam-pipes s, distributed around the chamber IOO IZO

andy passing` up ihrough the. shelves, a surrounding air-chamber, D3, for heating' air, und an air exhaust orblower for causing a current or draft; of Warm or heated air to pass through the chamber,'substantially as set forth.

3. In a drying` appara-tus, a, series of disks, c, grooved ou their upper faces, tapering downward to an upwmdly-eurved periphery, c', in combination with intermediatehopper-shaped shelves, a, u bottom hopper-shelf, a2, leading' into a. discharge-chute, a3, screens e, and an air blower or exhaust, substantially as set forth.

'haust H', substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof' I have hereunto se't my hand.

HENRY F. BRINTON.

Witnesses:

R. H. WHITTLESEY, C. S. PARKER. 

